Damien pulled the car to a stop and stepped out immediately. He moved to her side, lifting Mathieu carefully into his arms while Jacqueline unlocked the door, slipping the keys from Damien's pocket without a word.
Inside, he carried the boy to the only guest room and laid him gently on the bed. Mathieu stirred faintly, shifting beneath the sheets, then sank back into deep sleep. Damien pulled the blanket up over him, making sure he was covered.
When he turned, Jacqueline was standing in the doorway, staring at her brother.
The look on her face raw, hollow, shattered twisted something deep inside him.
He stepped out and quietly closed the door behind him.
"You can rest in my room," he said in a low voice.
She didn't argue. She simply walked toward it, her steps slow and unsteady.
And then his eyes fell on her back again.
Those welts.
Just hours ago, she had been glowing in that black dress at the club smiling, almost radiant.
